Knights legend Andrew Johns has delivered a desperate plea to his former club, but has shut down suggestions he could join the coaching staff and help fix their issues.

It has been a tumultuous few days for Newcastle, with reports surfacing that Adam O’Brien could soon be on his way out the door alongside Kalyn Ponga.

While the superstar fullback and captain denied he would be seeking an early release from his contract – which runs until the end of 2027 – the speculation surrounding the head coaching position has ramped up and the writing appears to be on the wall.

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O’Brien is expected to remain at the helm until the end of the year, but Johns believes it has become obvious that he isn’t in the long-term plans at the Knights.

“Adam O’Brien was inevitable,” he said on Wide World of Sports’ Immortal Behaviour.

“There was always gonna be talk about him moving forward.

“Apparently they are giving Adam until the end of the year – but with Fletcher Sharpe out, Kalyn out and now Dylan Lucas out, I can’t see Newcastle winning another game.

“I’d say that [getting sacked] will happen with Adam.”

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The likes of Josh Hannay, Willie Peters and Brad Arthur have all been floated as possible replacements for O’Brien, should he be axed as has been widely speculated.

Hannay has a built-in relationship with Ponga from their time together with the Maroons and the former interim Sharks coach is highly regarded within the game.

Peters on the other hand has been plying his trade successfully overseas, while Arthur’s resume speaks for itself having spent a decade with Parramatta, taking them to a grand final appearance in 2022, before moving to the Leeds Rhinos last year.

But according to the greatest player in Newcastle’s history, the biggest issue facing the club won’t centre around the coaching appointment, but instead building the pathway system back to the style that gifted the proud club premierships in 1997 and 2001.

“The big question isn’t about who coaches next – it’s about what the next person does with the junior structure,” the rugby league Immortal said.

“Newcastle can not attract marquee players, plural. We have always built from within, looked at our local juniors coming through and put so much work into them.

“Build from within and then find the position we are deficient in and then go buy a Ben Kennedy – that was the structure of the club since day dot. 

“I don’t know what the DNA of the Knights is anymore. How are we gonna play? What sort of team are we? What sort of club are we? Recruit players which suit our DNA.

“Whoever comes in (as coach), or if Adam is there next year, they have got to sit there and say what is our DNA? Say to the junior coaches – I don’t give a rats if you win a comp in 17s or 19s or 21s, we are gonna judge you on producing first graders. If you can produce first graders who are coming through the system, your job is safe.

“I don’t want you playing our under 17s like robots … find our DNA and coach these kids.”

While there is perhaps nobody more passionate when it comes to the Knights than the two-time premiership-winning halfback, Johns won’t be returning to the fold.

When asked by co-host Allana Ferguson, the 51-year-old admitted he is settled in his personal life and moving back to the Hunter region wasn’t on the cards.

“I’ll never coach, because I haven’t got the personality,” Johns said.

“I live in Sydney and I love where I’m living. The drive up there, I couldn’t be doing it and I’m not moving back to Newcastle.

“I haven’t got the personality and I haven’t got the patience.

“It would be like watching Charlie Sheen come undone. It would be entertaining for everyone, but I’ve got a young family too and it’s not fair on them.

“I care so much … I’m getting emotional, because it means so much to me. My phone from blokes I used to play with is just ringing and they’re all the same, all frustrated.

“We want the club to be successful, but we want the junior pathways to be sorted out -we need 75 per cent of our team to be local players.”

Newcastle will take face the Warriors on Sunday afternoon in round 20 action.